Pulling assemblies for pulling a multicrystalline silicon ingot from a silicon melt

ABSTRACT

Methods for producing multicrystalline silicon ingots by use of a Czochralski-type crystal puller and pulling assemblies that include a plurality of seed crystals for pulling multicrystalline silicon ingots.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/141,567, filed Dec. 30, 2008, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The field of the invention relates generally to the production ofmulticrystalline silicon and, more particularly, to the production ofmulticrystalline silicon by pulling a multicrystalline silicon ingot.

Conventional photovoltaic cells used for the production of solar energyutilize multicrystalline silicon. Multicrystalline silicon isconventionally produced in a directional solidification (DS) process inwhich silicon is melted in a crucible and directionally solidified in aseparate or in the same crucible. The solidification of the ingot iscontrolled such that molten silicon is fed to the solidifying front ofthe casting. The multicrystalline silicon produced in such a manner isan agglomeration of crystal grains with the orientation of the grainsrelative to each other being random due to the high density ofheterogeneous nucleation sites at the crucible wall. Multicrystallinesilicon is generally the preferred silicon source for photovoltaic cellsrather than single crystal silicon due to its lower cost resulting fromhigher throughput rates as compared to single crystal siliconproduction.

Multicrystalline silicon ingots grown by the DS process often have areduced median grain size in the portion of the ingot near the cruciblein which they are grown due to the many nucleation points at thecrucible surface. This reduced median grain size and the solid-statediffusion of impurities from the crucible wall cause a reduction in theminority carrier lifetime in this region detrimentally affecting theresulting cells' efficiency. Accordingly, this portion of the ingot isgenerally not used to produce solar cells but rather is recycled byutilization in subsequent silicon charges.

Further, a substantial portion of a silicon ingot grown by the DSprocess near the top portion of the ingot cannot be used for devicefabrication and cannot be recycled for further use due to high impuritycontent in the region. This high impurity content is caused bysegregation of impurities in the melt as the ingot forms. As the ingotforms, the concentration of impurities in the melt generally increasesdue to the relatively small segregation coefficient. The top region ofthe ingot is typically the last region to solidify and contains thehighest concentration of impurities.

A need exists for high throughput methods for producing multicrystallinesilicon ingots that do not result in a reduction in the median grainsize in peripheral portions of the resulting ingot and which generallydo not generate significant regions in the ingot which cannot be usedfor device fabrication or recycle.

BRIEF SUMMARY

One aspect of the present invention is directed to a pulling assemblyconstructed for holding a plurality of seed crystals for pulling agrowing ingot upward from a silicon melt. The pulling assembly includesa chuck and a plurality of seed crystals connected to the chuck.

Another aspect of the present invention is directed to an ingot pullerfor growing a silicon ingot from a silicon melt. The ingot pullerincludes a housing and a pulling mechanism for pulling a growing ingotupward from a silicon melt held within a crucible. The pulling mechanismincludes a pulling assembly that includes a plurality of seed crystalsand a chuck constructed for holding the seed crystals and the ingotgrown on the seed crystal from the silicon melt.

A further aspect of the present invention is directed to an ingot pullerfor growing a silicon ingot from a silicon melt. The ingot puller has apulling mechanism for pulling a growing ingot upward from a silicon meltheld within a crucible. The pulling mechanism includes a pullingassembly that includes a mounting bracket that (1) is circular in shapeor (2) has at least two legs.

Various refinements exist of the features noted in relation to theabove-mentioned aspects of the present invention. Further features mayalso be incorporated in the above-mentioned aspects of the presentinvention as well. These refinements and additional features may existindividually or in any combination. For instance, various featuresdiscussed below in relation to any of the illustrated embodiments of thepresent invention may be incorporated into any of the above-describedaspects of the present invention, alone or in any combination.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross section of a Czochralski-type crystal puller;

FIG. 2 is a perspective of a pulling assembly according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective of a pulling assembly according to a secondembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective of the pulling assembly of FIG. 3 with aplurality of frets being shown;

FIG. 5 is a perspective of the pulling assembly of FIG. 3 with aplurality of grooves being shown;

FIG. 6 is a perspective of a pulling assembly according to a thirdembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective of a seed crystal according to one embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 8 is a perspective of a seed crystal according to a secondembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a perspective of a seed crystal according to a thirdembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 10 is a schematic illustrating a pattern for cropping a rightcircular silicon ingot according to one embodiment of the presentinvention.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding partsthroughout the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings and in particular to FIG. 1, an ingotpuller for use in accordance with the methods of the present inventionof the type used to grow a multicrystalline silicon ingot according tothe Czochralski method is designated by the reference numeral 23. Theingot puller 23 includes a housing 25 that defines a crystal growthchamber 16 and a pull chamber 20 having a smaller transverse dimensionthan the growth chamber. The growth chamber 16 has a generally domeshaped upper wall 45 transitioning from the growth chamber 16 to thenarrowed pull chamber 20. The ingot puller 23 includes an inlet port 7and an outlet port 11 which may be used to introduce and removeselective ambients to and from the housing 25 during crystal growth.

A crucible 22 within the ingot puller 23 contains a silicon melt 44 fromwhich a multicrystalline silicon ingot is drawn. The silicon melt 44 isobtained by melting polycrystalline silicon charged to the crucible 22.The crucible 22 is mounted on a turntable 29 for rotation of thecrucible about a central longitudinal axis X of the ingot puller 23. Inthis regard, it should be understood that in certain embodiments, thecrucible is not rotated. The crucible 22 is also capable of being raisedwithin the growth chamber 16 to maintain the surface of the melt 44 at agenerally constant level as the ingot is grown. An electrical resistanceheater 39 surrounds the crucible 22 for melting the silicon charge toproduce the melt 44. The heater 39 is controlled by a control system(not shown) so that the temperature of the melt 44 is preciselycontrolled throughout the pulling process. Insulation (not shown)surrounding the heater 39 may reduce the amount of heat lost through thehousing 25. The ingot puller 23 may also include a heat shield assembly(not shown) above the melt surface for shielding the ingot from the heatof the crucible 22 to increase the axial temperature gradient at thesolid-melt interface as more fully described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,797,062which is incorporated herein by reference.

A pulling mechanism (not shown) is attached to a pull wire 24 thatextends down from the mechanism. The mechanism is capable of raising andlowering the pull wire 24. The ingot puller 23 may have a pull shaftrather than a wire, depending upon the type of puller. The pull wire 24terminates in a pulling assembly 58 that includes a seed crystal chuck32 which holds a seed crystal 18 used to grow the multicrystallinesilicon ingot. In growing the ingot, the pulling mechanism lowers theseed crystal 18 until it contacts the surface of the silicon melt 44.Once the seed crystal 18 begins to melt, the pulling mechanism slowlyraises the seed crystal up through the growth chamber 16 and pullchamber 20 to grow the monocrystalline or multicrystalline ingot. Thespeed at which the pulling mechanism rotates the seed crystal 18 and thespeed at which the pulling mechanism raises the seed crystal (i.e., thepull rate v) are controlled by the control system. The generalconstruction and operation of the ingot puller 23, except to the extentexplained more fully below, is conventional and known by those ofordinary skill in the art.

In some embodiments, the ingot puller 23 is suitably configured toprepare silicon ingots that are cylindrical and with a nominal diameterof about 150 mm and, in other embodiments, with a nominal diameter ofabout 200 mm and, in yet other embodiments, a nominal diameter of about300 mm. In some embodiments, the ingot puller 23 is suitably configuredto prepare silicon ingots with a nominal diameter of at least about 300mm and even silicon ingots with a nominal diameter of about 450 mm ormore. It should be understood that ingots may be pulled in a manner suchthat ingots of a shape other than cylindrical (e.g., rectangular orsquare) may be produced. In this regard, the largest nominal dimensionof the ingot (not including the length of the ingot or, stateddifferently, the longest nominal dimension of the radial cross-section)may be the same as listed for cylindrical ingots. Alternatively or inaddition, the ingot puller 23 is suitably configured to prepare siliconingots with a largest nominal dimension (not including the length) offrom about 50 mm to about 500 mm or from about 100 mm to about 350 mm.

The hot zone of the ingot puller 23 may be configured to provide apredominantly axial flow of heat from the ingot puller. The hot zones ofconventional crystal pullers for pulling single crystal silicontypically are configured to provide axial and radial cooling. Apredominantly axial heat flow reduces the radial temperature gradientwithin the ingot as compared to conventional Czochralski pullingtechniques thereby reducing the cooling stress in the ingot. The ingotpuller hot zone may include a relatively thick heat shield assemblyabove the melt surface with limited insulation above the reflector tocause predominant axial heat flow. Suitable heat shield assemblies areshow in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,482,263 and 7,217,320, both of which areincorporated herein by reference. Crucible rotation modulation asdisclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,766,341 and 5,593,498 and cruciblerotation as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,125,450, all of which areincorporated herein by reference, may be utilized to affect thetemperature gradient within the ingot.

In one embodiment, the ingot is annealed by heating the ingot to atemperature from about 1000° C. to about 1300° C. for at least about onehour to reduce residual stress within the ingot. In another embodiment,the ingot is annealed by heating to a temperature from about 1000° C. toabout 1300° C. for at least about two hours to reduce residual stresswithin the ingot.

The hot zone of the ingot puller may be configured to reduce ironcontamination near the edge of the ingot by utilizing a protectivecoating(s) on the hot zone components, particularly the upper hot zonecomponents, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,183,553, which isincorporated herein by reference. Optionally, the purity of the upperhot zone components may be controlled and/or the flow of process gasintroduced to and from the ingot puller 23 may be controlled to reduceiron contamination. The flow of process gas may be increased relative toconventional Czochralski techniques to increase dilution in the gasphase. Gas flows required to achieve this effect depend on theparticular hot zone employed and may be determined experimentally.

In one embodiment, the hot zone of the ingot puller is configured to besegmented (e.g., insulation is in tiles instead of a continuous piece)to reduce the cost of purification of the hot zone components.

A plurality of seed crystals, rather than one seed crystal as describedabove, may be utilized to pull the ingot from the silicon melt. In oneembodiment, at least 2 seeds are used to pull the ingot and, in anotherembodiment, at least about 4 seeds. In other embodiments, at least about10 seeds are used, at least about 50 seeds, at least about 100 seeds orat least about 200 seeds. In yet further embodiments, at least about 300seeds, about 350 seeds or even at least about 400 seeds are used to pullthe silicon ingot. In other embodiments, from about 4 seeds to about 400seeds are used, from about 10 seeds to about 400 seeds, from about 50seeds to about 400 seeds, from about 100 seeds to about 400 seeds, fromabout 200 seeds to about 400 seeds or even from about 300 seeds to about400 seeds are used to pull the silicon ingot. The number of seeds usedto pull the silicon ingot may be dependent on, among other things, thesize of the silicon ingot to be pulled. Generally by increasing thenumber of seeds used to pull the ingot, the ingot achieves a constantdiameter portion more quickly (i.e., the ingot has a short multiple seedcone region) as compared to pulling methods that utilize a relativelyfew seeds or even one seed. By maximizing the portion of the ingot thatrepresents the constant diameter portion, the throughput of the ingotpuller increases. Using multiple seeds also creates multiple nucleationpoints for multicrystalline crystal growth. The mismatch dislocations inthe ingot may be reduced by minimizing or preferentially selecting theorientation difference among the plurality of seeds.

A multicrystalline or single crystal silicon ingot may be prepared byloading polycrystalline silicon into the crucible to form a siliconcharge. The silicon charge is heated to a temperature above about themelting temperature of the charge to form a silicon melt. At least twoseed crystals may be brought into contact with the silicon melt and asilicon ingot pulled up from the silicon melt.

The growth conditions of the silicon ingot may be controlled such thatthe silicon ingot has a multicrystalline structure. Such growthconditions may include the use of multiple seed crystals, as furtherdescribed herein. For purposes of the present specification,“multicrystalline” structures such as ingots and wafers have an averagenominal crystal grain size of at least about 1 mm. Polycrystallinestructures have an average nominal crystal size of less than about 1 mm.The average nominal crystal grain size may be evaluated by observing thelight reflectance in a wafer sliced from the silicon ingot. The crystalgrains reflect the light in different directions due to the differencein crystal orientation between grains. The nominal distance betweengrain boundaries may be evaluated across the wafer and averaged.

The multicrystalline ingot may be prepared by loading polycrystallinesilicon into a crucible to form a silicon charge. The silicon charge isheated to a temperature above about the melting temperature of thecharge to form a silicon melt. A seed crystal is lowered to contact thesilicon melt and a silicon ingot is drawn up from the silicon melt,wherein growth conditions of the ingot are controlled to produce amulticrystalline silicon ingot.

In another example, the growth conditions may be controlled such thatthe temperature gradient is sufficiently low to prevent dislocationmultiplication. The proper temperature gradient depends on, among otherfactors, the hot zone and the ingot size. The proper temperaturegradient may be found experimentally or by modeling. In one example, thetemperature gradient is maintained below 0.2° C./mm (e.g., less than 50°C. over a 250 mm ingot).

In one embodiment, the growth velocity of the growing multicrystallinesilicon ingot is controlled to be from about 0.3 mm/min to about 2.0mm/min. In another embodiment, the growth rate is controlled to be fromabout 1.0 mm/min to about 2.0 mm/min. In one embodiment, the growthrates are selected to produce an ingot with vacancies being thepredominant intrinsic point defect to minimize interstitial defects. Inanother embodiment, the growth rates are selected to produce an ingotwith interstitials being the predominant intrinsic point defect andwherein the ingot growth rate exceeds the dislocation velocities nearthe solid-melt interface. Higher seed lifts may be used to maximizeproductivity, but are limited by practical ingot distortion limits.

In one embodiment, the seed rotation is zero (i.e., the seed is notrotated) and the upper hot zone components are active and of a squarecross-section in order to achieve an ingot with a square cross-section.These conditions are different from conventional Czochralski crystalgrowth methods.

Referring now to FIG. 2, in one embodiment, the pulling assembly 58 usedto pull the ingot from the melt includes a chuck 32 with multiple seedcrystals 18 attached thereto (or suspended therefrom). By using multipleseeds, the formed ingot does not include a tapered seed cone that is acharacteristic of silicon ingots pulled using conventional apparatusthat include a single seed but, rather, includes multiple shorter seedcones. Conventional pulling techniques for growing single crystalsilicon ingots include only one seed as additional seeds would result asnucleation points for multiple crystals. The seeds 18 are attached to amounting bracket 28. The mounting bracket 28 is attached to the chuck 32by a suspension rod 36; however, the bracket may be attached directly tothe chuck 32, or may be attached in other ways without departing fromthe scope of the present invention. The mounting bracket 28 includes tworadially symmetric legs 38 that extend from the suspension rod 36 andthat include respective ends 41, 42. In one embodiment, the distancebetween the ends 41, 42 is at least about 75% of the diameter of theingot pulled from the melt and, in other embodiments, is at least about85%, at least about 95% and even at least about 100% of the diameter ofthe ingot pulled from the melt. As shown in FIG. 2, each leg has fiveseeds attached to it. Each leg may have more or less than five seedsattached to it without departing from the scope of the presentinvention.

The mounting bracket 28, suspension rod 36 and chuck 32 may beconstructed of graphite, silicon carbide coated with graphite, silicon,silicon carbide or high temperature refractory metals. Silicon carbidecoated with graphite may be used due to lower cost, strength and ease offabrication.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the mounting bracket 28 may include more thantwo legs. As shown in FIGS. 3-5 the mounting bracket includes four legs38 with each leg being radially symmetric to a second leg.

As the silicon ingot emerges from the hot zone of the ingot puller andbegins to cool, the ingot radially contracts. In one embodiment of thepresent invention, the crystal seeds 18 are attached to the mountingbracket 28 in an arrangement that allows the seeds to move laterally toallow for thermal contraction of the ingot. For instance, the seedcrystals 18 shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 6 may be attached to a wire 60 (FIG.7) that terminates in a ball 62. The seed crystals 18 may be attached tothe mounting bracket 28 as a ball and socket joint to allow lateralmovement of the seeds. Alternatively, the seeds may be wired directly tothe mounting bracket 28 using refractory metal wires.

Alternatively and as shown in FIG. 4, the mounting bracket 28 mayinclude a number of frets 46 that bound the movement of the seeds 18.Only one seed is shown in FIG. 4 for illustration purposes. The seeds 18include an opening 48 (FIG. 8) that allows the seeds to be seated on themounting bracket 28. The opening 48 is sufficiently large to allowlateral movement of the seed as the ingot cools. The frets 46 restrictmovement of the seeds 18 such that each seed stays within a pair offrets as the seeds are lowered to contact the melt and as the ingot ispulled from the melt. The mounting bracket 28 may include upwardprotrusions 60 near the ends 42 of the legs 38 that help to limit themovement of the seeds 18 at the ends of the legs. Alternatively, theupward protrusions 60 may be replaced by frets. The mounting bracket 28may not include upward protrusions 60 without departing from the scopeof the present invention.

Alternatively and as shown in FIG. 5, the mounting bracket 28 mayinclude a plurality of grooves 52. In this embodiment, the seeds 18include an opening 48 (FIG. 9). The seed includes a tapered portion 56that tapers inwardly toward a ridge 54. The ridge 54 may be seated in agroove 52 of the mounting bracket 28 to allow for lateral movement ofthe seed as the ingot cools. Only one seed is shown in FIG. 5 forillustration purposes.

Referring now to FIG. 6, according to one embodiment of the presentinvention, the mounting bracket 28 is circular in shape. The diameter ofthe bracket may be at least about 75% of the diameter of the ingotpulled from the melt and, in other embodiments, is at least about 85%,at least about 95% and even at least about 100% of the diameter of theingot pulled from the melt.

The silicon ingot pulled from the melt defines a cross-sectional area.For example, for silicon ingots about 450 mm in diameter, thecross-sectional area is about 1590 cm². In one embodiment, the number ofseed crystals attached to the chuck and used to contact the silicon meltto pull the ingot is at least about 1 seed crystal per 400 cm² of ingotcross sectional area and in another embodiment is at least about 1 seedcrystal per 100 cm² of ingot cross sectional area.

In another embodiment, the number of seed crystals that contact thesilicon melt is at least about 10 seed crystals per 100 cm² of ingotcross sectional area and, in other embodiments, at least about 20 seedcrystals per 100 cm² of ingot cross sectional area or even at leastabout 30 seed crystals per 100 cm² of ingot cross sectional area. Inother embodiments, the number of seed crystals that contact the siliconmelt is from about 1 crystal per 400 cm² of ingot cross sectional areato about 30 crystals per 100 cm² of ingot cross sectional area, fromabout 1 crystal per 400 cm² of ingot cross sectional area to about 20crystals per 100 cm² of ingot cross sectional area or from about 10crystal per 100 cm² of ingot cross sectional area to about 30 crystalsper 100 cm² of ingot cross sectional area. In one embodiment, the seedcrystals are arranged in a circular pattern or in a regular geometricarray.

In one embodiment, the growth conditions are controlled such that thesilicon ingot has an average nominal crystal grain size of at least 1 mmand, in another embodiment, from about 1 mm to about 25 mm. In anotherembodiment, the silicon ingot has an average nominal diameter of fromabout 1 mm to about 15 mm and even from 1 mm to about 10 mm. In anotherembodiment, the average nominal crystal grain size of the silicon ingotis from about 5 mm to about 25 mm, from about 5 mm to about 15 mm orfrom about 5 mm to about 10 mm.

In some embodiments, the multicrystalline silicon ingot is cylindricaland has a nominal diameter of about 150 mm and, in other embodiments, anominal diameter of about 200 mm and, in yet other embodiments, anominal diameter of about 300 mm. In some embodiments, the silicon ingothas a nominal diameter of at least about 300 mm and even a nominaldiameter of about 450 mm. In other embodiments, the ingot is of a shapeother than cylindrical (e.g., rectangular or square) and themulticrystalline silicon ingot has a largest nominal dimension (notincluding the length) as stated above for cylindrical ingots and/or alargest nominal dimension of from about 50 mm to about 500 mm or fromabout 100 mm to about 350 mm.

The silicon ingot may be annular in shape as with typical Czochralskimethods. A square ingot may be pulled from the silicon melt by notrotating the seed and by using upper hot zone components designed toprovide a high radial melt gradient. A high radial melt gradient may beachieved by use of heavy insulation or by use of active elements such asheaters.

The multicrystalline silicon ingot may be cropped in a manner thatmaximizes the use of material for solar cell manufacture. Particularly,the ingot may be cropped to form square or rectangular ingot segmentsthat may be sliced into square or rectangular wafers that areconventionally produced in solar cell manufacturing operations. Onesuitable cropping pattern for use in cropping a cylindrical ingot isshown in FIG. 10. The constant diameter portion of the ingot 90 iscropped to form four central ingot segments 92. Each segment 92 extendsfrom about the center C of the ingot to the circumferential side or,stated differently, the diagonal length of the cross-section issubstantially equal to the radius r of the ingot. The constant diameterportion of the ingot 90 is also cropped to form four peripheral ingotsegments 94. Each peripheral ingot segment 94 is cropped from a portionof the ingot 90 adjacent to two of the central ingot segments 92. Theperipheral ingot segments 94 extend to the circumferential side of theingot 90 so as to minimize the size of wasted portions 91. Each radialingot segment 94 may be further divided into a first section 95 and asecond section 97. Methods for cropping ingots are well known by thoseskilled in the art and include, for example, use of a wire saw to cutthe ingot into its various segments 92, 94 and sections 95, 97. In oneembodiment, the silicon ingot is cropped in a configuration to producehexagonal solar cells. Other cropping patterns may be used withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention.

When introducing elements of the present invention or the embodiment(s)thereof, the articles “a”, “an”, “the” and “said” are intended to meanthat there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising”,“including” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean thatthere may be additional elements other than the listed elements.

As various changes could be made in the above apparatus and methodswithout departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended thatall matter contained in the above description and shown in theaccompanying figures shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

What is claimed is:
 1. A pulling assembly constructed for holding aplurality of seed crystals for pulling a growing ingot upward from asilicon melt, the pulling assembly comprising a chuck, a mountingbracket and a plurality of seed crystals attached to the mountingbracket, the mounting bracket being connected to the chuck, the seedcrystals being attached to the mounting bracket at a joint to allow forlateral movement of the seed crystals as the silicon ingot is withdrawnfrom the silicon melt and cools.
 2. A pulling assembly as set forth inclaim 1 further comprising a suspension rod attached to the chuck,wherein the mounting bracket is attached to the suspension rod.
 3. Apulling assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein the mounting bracketincludes at least two legs.
 4. A pulling assembly as set forth in claim1 wherein the mounting bracket includes at least four legs.
 5. A pullingassembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein the mounting bracket iscircular in shape.
 6. A pulling assembly as set forth in claim 1 whereinat least 4 seed crystals are connected to the chuck.
 7. A pullingassembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein at least 10 seed crystals areconnected to the chuck.
 8. A pulling assembly as set forth in claim 1wherein the number of seed crystals connected to the chuck is at leastabout 1 seed crystal per 400 cm² of cross sectional area of the ingotthe pulling assembly is configured to pull.
 9. An ingot puller forgrowing a silicon ingot from a silicon melt, the ingot puller comprisinga housing and a pulling mechanism for pulling a growing ingot upwardfrom a silicon melt held within a crucible, the pulling mechanismcomprising a pulling assembly that includes a plurality of seedcrystals, a mounting bracket and a chuck constructed for holding theseed crystals and the ingot grown on the seed crystal from the siliconmelt, the seed crystals being attached to the mounting bracket at ajoint to allow lateral movement of the crystals as the silicon ingot iswithdrawn from the silicon melt and cools.
 10. An ingot puller as setforth in claim 9 wherein at least about 4 seed crystals are connected tothe chuck.
 11. An ingot puller as set forth in claim 9 wherein thenumber of seed crystals connected to the chuck is at least about 1 seedcrystal per 400 cm² of cross sectional area of the ingot the pullingassembly is configured to pull.
 12. An ingot puller for growing asilicon ingot from a silicon melt, the ingot puller comprising a pullingmechanism for pulling a growing ingot upward from a silicon melt heldwithin a crucible, the pulling mechanism comprising a pulling assemblythat includes a plurality of seed crystals and a mounting bracket that(1) is circular in shape or (2) has at least two legs, the seed crystalsbeing attached to the mounting bracket at a joint to allow lateralmovement of the crystals as the silicon ingot is withdrawn from thesilicon melt and cools.
 13. An ingot puller as set forth in claim 12wherein the mounting bracket is circular in shape.
 14. An ingot pulleras set forth in claim 12 wherein the mounting bracket has at least twolegs.
 15. An ingot puller as set forth in claim 12 wherein the mountingbracket comprises frets connected to the legs.
 16. An ingot puller asset forth in claim 12 wherein the mounting bracket comprises groovesformed in the legs.
 17. An ingot puller as set forth in claim 12 whereinthe mounting bracket has at least four legs.
 18. A pulling assembly asset forth in claim 1 wherein the seed crystals are attached to themounting bracket by a ball and socket joint to allow for lateralmovement of the seed crystals as the silicon ingot is withdrawn from thesilicon melt and cools.
 19. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein themounting bracket has at least two legs and frets connected to the legs,the seed crystals having openings that allow the seed crystals to bemounted on the legs and between the frets to allow for lateral movementof the seed crystals as the silicon ingot is withdrawn from the siliconmelt and cools.
 20. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the seedcrystals are attached to a mounting bracket having a plurality ofgrooves.
 21. A method as set forth in claim 20 wherein each seed crystalhas an opening and a tapered portion that tapers to form a ridge in theopening, the ridge being seated in a groove of the mounting bracket toallow for lateral movement of the seed crystal as the silicon ingot iswithdrawn from the silicon melt and cools.